Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Interview with Broken Witt Rebels

Photo credit: Laurence HarveyRock Chic had a chat with Luke Davis, Vocalist and Bassist for Broken Witt Rebels, ahead of their tour dates with King King, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Planet Rock Roadstars next year. He reveals why their fans are so important, vinyl is still king and their biggest influences include a Chuckle brother……..

You’re selling vinyls of your latest EP Georgia Pine at live shows. It’s such a great idea, but what’s the reason behind it? Is it a nostalgia thing or you think vinyl has a better sound? Or the fact that more people are buying vinyl now?

If I'm honest, I think all three played a factor in why we got the vinyl. It's such a cool piece of merch to add to the line, so we couldn't resist.

Completely agree, we’re all huge fans of vinyl here.

You’re very much involved with your fans via social media, plus you invited them to star in your video for Georgia Pine. Do you think it’s important to keep up this close relationship? How does it help?

Absolutely, I think it’s incredibly important. Maintaining a relationship with our fans is a huge factor as without them, we’re nothing.

You’ve played some festivals – is this something you enjoy or do you prefer to have your own crowd?

We love festivals because for us, conquering a new crowd is such a rush because by the time we're done we’re lucky enough to count them as new fans most of the time, which is great.

Because you’re bringing rock ‘n’ roll back to new audiences (and you really are), where does your inspiration come from?

Well I'm deeply influenced by Barry Chuckle and JT (Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar James Tranter) is big into Cindy Lauper…..

Hmm, really? That’s a surprise. You would think it would be the likes of Fleetwood Mac or Rival Sons, but each to their own……So, how did you get together – were you friends already? Did you start out playing small, local clubs or was it a different story…..?

Me and Dan (Vocals / Rhythm Guitar) grew up together and we poached JT & JD (James Dudley, Drums / Percussion) from other bands. It was a case of “join our band or get in the car boot.” I think they made the right choice.

Haha, absolutely and it’s an admirable approach. So, you seem very self-made. Is this something you are proud of? It’s so hard for a band to make it in the industry, so doing it all yourself must be difficult….but beneficial?

Yeh we still haven't signed with a label, despite having had a few offers. We just love what we do and we're prepared to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

You probably get asked this all the time, but where did your name come from? It would be really interesting to know.

We wanted a band name that no one would have, so we got a newspaper and randomly picked words from the headlines. That's it really…I wish it was a cooler story haha.

You’re on tour with King King and Joanne Shaw Taylor next year – this must be a great feeling. Would you class them as artists you look up to? Have you shared the stage with any other of your idols or are there any you would love to?

We've had a great time supporting King King before and can't wait to hit the road with Joanne. We've played with a few artists that are great, like Kaleo, Tom Jones and so on but it's hard to look up to Gods when you are one….

Haha, modesty is key in this industry, right? Ok, so then you’re off to tour the Planet Rock Roadstars shows with Bad Touch – will it be safe to say there’ll be some stories from the road to tell after you guys get together?! Or do rock stars behave these days?

I'm sure they'll be a story or two…..you’ll have to wait and see.

We’ll get back to you on that.

You’re often played on Planet Rock – have they played a big part in getting your name out there?

Yeh, I mean we’ve just played Planet Rockstock festival at the beginning of this month and they have been a massive supporter of ours. We can't thank them enough for it, it’s been great.

What’s up next for you in the coming year, album and tour-wise?

Well an album is definitely on the cards for next year and there are a few tours in the pipeline, but nothing we can announce just yet, so watch this space.

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